


Show Me How To Love

by LostInTheStanning



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Friends With Benefits, M/M, MONSTAXFicBingo2020, One Shot, Showki, bingo prompt, catching feelings, communication is key
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:28:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25880584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LostInTheStanning/pseuds/LostInTheStanning
Summary: Kihyun and Hyunwoo have been friends with benefits since college. Hyunwoo has never shown interest in relationships and Kihyun has been pining over him forever. The arrangement was fine until suddenly it wasn’t.(Bingo AU Friends with Benefits)One shot.
Relationships: Son Hyunwoo | Shownu/Yoo Kihyun
Comments: 6
Kudos: 97
Collections: MONSTA X Fic Bingo





	Show Me How To Love

What was that loud ringing? 

Hyunwoo groaned and rolled over to slap at his alarm clock a few times. He tried using his phone as an alarm clock but it turns out it’s far too convenient to silence. And then go back to sleep. He scrubbed a hand down his face willing the headache he had to go away. Flashes of the night crowded his head giving him the reason for his headache. He’d drank with a couple of friends, maybe heavily whatever, then he got home in one piece. The foggy memories gave way to a very light cologne on the pillow by him. He glanced at it with furrowed brows until he remembered. Kihyun had come over that night. He sighed and rolled out of bed now. Noticing no trace of Kihyun. He must have woke up early and left. 

Hyunwoo walked out to the kitchen and jumped a mile when he realized Lee Minhyuk was there casually sipping coffee. “Jesus Min!” He said then groaned when his headache retaliated. The white haired male rolled his eyes before handing him some medicine and a coffee. “I see you had fun last night?” Minhyuk asked with a raised brow even though he knew the answer. Hyunwoo grunted at him as he leaned against his counter; relishing in the coffee. “You know you don’t have to party every weekend right?” Minhyuk spoke with a sigh and Hyunwoo stayed silent. “Adulting sucks I know but maybe we should find you a healthy hobby.” Minhyuk filled the silence himself as he made Hyunwoo a sandwich. Minhyuk had known Hyunwoo for years now and knew everything about him. Including his unhealthy behaviors. 

Hyunwoo accepted the sandwich while glancing at the time to make sure he could shower before work. “I ran in to Kihyun on the way up.” Minhyuk continued as he made a sandwich for himself. That didn’t surprise Hyunwoo. Minhyuk always came over bright and early Monday morning to make sure Hyunwoo was alive. His apartment was on the third floor so he could imagine seeing Kihyun in the elevator wasn’t too startling. But the way Minhyuk said it had Hyunwoo on edge. “How long have you two been fuck buddies? Since College right?” Minhyuk spoke quietly, “You know you two could just....date?” Minhyuk jumped when Hyunwoo’s head turned quickly to eye him. “Don’t have time for relationships.” He said plainly and Minhyuk scowled at him, “Seriously? Well maybe you should consider how Kihyun feels” Minhyuk huffed loudly, “Pretty sure he likes you but eventually he’s going to leave, he looked so tired this morning.” Hyunwoo looked away from him now and decided to not make a lewd comment about it. “I told him he doesn’t have to leave so early.” Hyunwoo muttered before sipping his coffee. Minhyuk stared at him like he was an idiot. 

“Hyunwoo I love you but you can be dense sometimes.” 

Minhyuk left soon after their kitchen conversation after making sure Hyunwoo packed lunch. Hyunwoo stood in the now empty kitchen while putting his tie on. It was quiet in his apartment and he wondered why that bothered him. After getting his tie the way he liked he also wondered why he had a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach. It couldn’t have been from what Minhyuk said right? Kihyun had agreed to their arrangement so he knew what he was getting in too. Hyunwoo nodded at his own thoughts and shoved them away before heading out the door. 

—————————————————————

Kihyun hit his forehead lightly on his desk over and over. Beside him Hyungwon watched with sleepy eyes. “You did it again didn’t you?” Hyungwon finally asked and Kihyun sighed loudly. Kihyun whined against the wood under his face and finally turned his head to look at his tall friend. They worked for the same company but met their last year of college. Which meant Hyungwon knew all about his situation with Hyunwoo. But unlike Hyungwon, who was happily dating Hoseok, Kihyun didn’t have anyone to go home too. And even before that he could barely contain his feelings for their mutual friend, Son Hyunwoo. He had been so weak that night Hyunwoo had suggested the arrangement. He suffered with his one sided feelings because a few hours had been better than nothing. 

Except now it wasn’t. Kihyun had told himself to not run as soon as Hyunwoo texted him late at night but he did it again. “I like him so much Hyungwon.” He muttered and felt a hand pat his shoulder. “Ki if it’s starting to hurt you should stop. You’re not hideous we can find you a boyfriend.” Hyungwon’s husky voice murmured to him as he continued to pat Kihyun. He whined again and felt Hyungwon flick him at the noise. “I know I should” Kihyun said as he finally sat up straight, “I ran in to Minnie when I left and the pity just oozed from him.” Kihyun sighed again for the millionth time before opening his laptop. He began scouring his emails and could just feel Hyungwon staring at him. He glanced at his friend who studied him with a serious expression. “I’m going to end it” Kihyun finally said, “Soon.” He heard Hyungwon hum at him and they both went back to their work. 

Luckily for Kihyun his friend Changkyun had texted him to ask if he wanted to go to the movies with their two mutual friends Jooheon and Minhyuk. Even though Kihyun had had a rough day he knew this was an easy out from breaking things off. I mean he was going to be busy right? And now he wouldn’t have to lie to Hyunwoo either! If he even contacted him. Sure they were friends before their arrangement but Hyunwoo was a terrible texter. Half the time he only texted or called when he wanted to have sex. Even if it was just a quickie or something. But it never happened the day after they met up so why was he worried? Kihyun grabbed his things in a hurry and bid Hyungwon goodbye. He was free! Well until tomorrow. 

Kihyun hurried outside shoving his things in the small leather bag he carried. As he was working out how much time he’d have to change he heard his phone go off. It was probably Minhyuk asking what he was wearing. Kihyun could never figure out why he had to dress to impress whenever Jooheon was with them. Minhyuk was the one who wanted to date him not Kihyun! He quickly answered the call while holding his phone with his shoulder and shoving his wallet in to his pocket. “Hello?” He said while dodging a group of women hogging the sidewalk. “Hey Ki.” Kihyun almost dropped his stuff hearing Hyunwoo’s voice, “Hyunwoo? Hey what’s up is something wrong?” He asked as he stopped walking to concentrate. “Nothings wrong Ki” Hyunwoo replied, “I wanted to know if you could come by later?” Kihyun blinked in silence for a moment. Hyunwoo didn’t sound drunk or anything. He probably got off work like Kihyun.

“Oh I can’t” Kihyun remembered to answer, “I’m seeing a movie tonight with Changkyun.” He said as he begin scratching at his pants to distract himself. “Changkyun?” Hyunwoo asked in confusion as if the idea was absurd. “Yeah Changkyun, Jooheon, and Minnie.” Kihyun clarified. A pause and then, “Is it a date?” Kihyun felt his brain fry at the question. He immediately reasoned with himself that Hyunwoo was just asking as a friend and not as anything else. He wished it was because of something else. “No!” He said way too loudly, “Ah no, why would it be a date?” Cue Kihyun laughing awkwardly at himself. Hyunwoo hummed in to the phone as if agreeing with Kihyun. “Was just asking.” Hyunwoo said and Kihyun felt his face heat up. There was an awkward pause and Kihyun hated it. He knew it was because he was barely containing the urge to confess so he laughed airily, “Anyways I have to rush home” He said quickly, “I’ll text you later okay?” Hyunwoo agreed and after they said goodbye he hung up. Leaning against a building his sighed miserably. 

—————————————————————

Kihyun had fun at the movies. The night was distracting for him. Sure he may have glanced at his phone periodically until Minhyuk swatted him. He hated that he was so hung up on Hyunwoo. He tried to channel Hyungwon’s attitude about the situation but he just made himself sad. How did they get to this point? Kihyun pushed thoughts away for the rest of the night. Once he was home he had cuddled up in bed and stared at social media. Scrolling through pictures his friends posted and being surprised to see Hyunwoo with Hoseok at a bar. That bitterness crept up his throat now. Not at Hoseok but at the people Hyunwoo would flirt with. Did he take someone home? Kihyun groaned and threw his phone somewhere on the bed before yanking the covers over his head. 

The next few days seemed to fly by. Kihyun was swamped with work and Hyunwoo had only texted him occasionally. He didn’t ask Kihyun to come over and Kihyun tried to ignore any feelings from that. Work was tiring enough so he didn’t dwell on it. That and Hyungwon’s menacing gaze made him steer clear of day dreaming. 

He had finished packing his things up when Hyungwon popped up beside him. Startled he dropped a few papers before glaring at Hyungwon. “Good news!” The taller male said, “I found you a date for tonight!” He grinned cheerfully as Kihyun stared at him in confusion. “Huh?” He said dumbly and Hyungwon rolled his eyes. “I told you I’d help you and I happen to know a good looking guy for you.” He nodded at his own words and studied Kihyun. “But-wait why would I go on a date?” Kihyun’s brain was scrambling to get out of this as Hyungwon rolled his eyes. “Because you’re single and caught up on Hyunwoo?” Hyungwon replied casually as if mentioning Hyunwoo wouldn’t make him sad. 

Kihyun frowned at his tall friend who nudged him, “Just one date.” He said while wagging his eyebrows. Kihyun felt a stress headache brewing but he finally forced himself to nod. “Great! I’ll give him your contact and address for tonight!” With that Hyungwon disappeared as quickly as he appeared. Tonight?! He slapped a hand to his forehead. He should have known Hyungwon would keep out important information like that until the end. He grabbed his bag and finally made his way out of the building; almost dreading going home. 

—————————————————————

Kihyun was holding up two pairs of pants when his phone buzzed. He picked it up to see a text from Hyunwoo. He could somewhat decipher the mishmash of text and knew immediately that Hyunwoo was probably at some club. He rolled his eyes and quickly replied he couldn’t come over tonight. He winced as he waited for another mash of text; this time it seemed agitated. “Fine I’ll find someone else.” Kihyun read aloud. His stomach hurt with anxiety but he steeled himself against it. They never were exclusive anyways not that Kihyun slept with anyone else because he uselessly pined over Hyunwoo. Was Hoseok and Hyungwon there? Was Minhyuk? Did they watch Hyunwoo take people home when Kihyun wasn’t around?

He closed his eyes to calm the surge of anger he felt. Pathetic. That was a word that shouldn’t be in his vocabulary. His hands shook as he opened the text again only to type back quickly. “I’m going on a date, I can’t do our arrangement anymore.” He said aloud as he typed. Once he hit send he silenced his phone and yanked on a pair of jeans. 

—————————————————————

The date went well aside from the fact they had zero romantic chemistry. But a friendship was easy as they both enjoyed photography. Even though Kihyun didn’t come out of it with a potential love interest he still appreciated the distraction. He opened his text to Hyunwoo periodically and suffered each time those three dots appeared only to disappear. Was Hyunwoo as miserable as Kihyun? Was he mad at him? He wasn’t entirely sure as Hyunwoo was great at concealing his emotions. Did he ever feel anything for Kihyun? He sighed at his own torturous thoughts. Standing in his workplace’s bathroom he splashed cold water on his face for a moment to calm down. He felt like he was going through a break up. Which was stupid because Hyunwoo didn’t want him. 

The door opened and Hyungwon strolled in. He grinned when he saw Kihyun. “How’d the date go?” He asked excitedly. Kihyun grimaced, “Better as friends.” Hyungwon furrowed his brow before muttering a curse. “I called off the arrangement.” He blurted suddenly which made Hyungwon freeze while staring at him. “When?” Hyungwon asked slowly as if he was trying to figure something out. “The night of the date” Kihyun said as he dried his hands, “Hyunwoo didn’t seem to care.” He was pretty confident he sounded bitter. Hyungwon chewed on his lip thoughtfully, “That explains it then.” He muttered and Kihyun raised a brow. “What?” Hyungwon jumped at Kihyun’s questioning tone as if he’d zoned out. “Oh uh-“ Hyungwon hesitated, “Well Hoseokkie had to go to his house a night ago because he was upset I guess.” Hyungwon looked like he didn’t want to say that. 

Kihyun furrowed his brows. Hyunwoo was upset? He felt that tiny spark of hope before he stomped it out immediately. “Don’t get my hopes up Hyungwon I can’t take it.” He said quietly and left the bathroom as Hyungwon stayed silent. He felt his eyes watering for a moment before biting hard on his lip as a distraction. He couldn’t be upset because of Kihyun as he never bothered to answer him. 

—————————————————————

Meanwhile Hyunwoo was laying on his couch moping. Minhyuk stood by it with his arms crossed and stared down at him. “What’s up?” Minhyuk finally said and Hyunwoo grunted. “Use words Hyunwoo.” Minhyuk said in a mildly amused voice. Hyunwoo finally cracked an eye open, “You were right.” He said on a sigh. “I’m often right but be specific.” Minhyuk said as he sat down by the couch to watch his friend. Hyunwoo groaned dramatically and glared at Minhyuk, “About Ki” He finally said, “He doesn’t want to meet up anymore with me.” He scowled at the fact Minhyuk’s expression didn’t change. Actually he looked annoyingly amused. “So Kihyunnie doesn’t want to be fuck buddies anymore?” Minhyuk leaned back on his palms and regarded Hyunwoo amusedly.

Hyunwoo glared at Minhyuk again as he sat up, “Didn’t I just say that?” He muttered. “Just wanted to clarify” Minhyuk sang the sentence before continuing, “And you’re upset about Kihyun?” The male cocked his head to the side while still grinning. It took Hyunwoo a second to see where this was going. “I’m-it was just...convenient?” He tried to explain even though his insides were twisting. Minhyuk raised a brow, “Right. It couldn’t be that you miss Kihyun or that you want him around you sex or not” Minhyuk kept watching Hyunwoo as he spoke, “So you laying around moping must be a coincidence.” Hyunwoo scowled at his friend. Silence reigned until Hyunwoo flopped off the couch by Minhyuk. “Okay okay! What do I do now?!” He said loudly while running his fingers through his hair. 

Hyunwoo had always kept his emotions or feelings under control. Everyone who met him said he was impossible to read. He had kept up avoiding relationship for so long that he had become comfortable. Kihyun had been comfortable. But now he understood it wasn’t the lack of relationship but the person he liked. Kihyun could nag and stress clean but he was always sweet to Hyunwoo. He made him laugh. He cooked all the things Hyunwoo liked. And he was almost painfully attracted to him physically. How had he managed to screw everything up? Kihyun’s cute smile floated around in his head, he could hear his laughter clear as day. Minhyuk seemed to sense his distress and patted him gently, “It’s not completely hopeless” He said quietly, “Just talk to him?” Hyunwoo covered his face with his hands and groaned again. 

—————————————————————

Kihyun should have known Minhyuk was up to something. The man loves plotting. 

But he had asked Kihyun so sincerely to borrow a specific jacket from him that he couldn’t say no. And here he was trudging up stairs to get to Minhyuk’s apartment while complaining quietly. It was Friday night and it wasn’t like Kihyun had any plans. Minhyuk was working late but apparently going on a date with Jooheon later in the evening thus the jacket request. Must be nice having a date with your crush. Kihyun grumbled to himself as he found the right door. He dug through his keys until he found the extra one to Minhyuk’s apartment. Apparently he had been fumbling too loud as suddenly the door opened wide startling Kihyun. 

Hyunwoo stared back at him with wide eyes. The silence was awkward and Kihyun cleared his throat loudly out of embarrassment. “Hey-hey Hyunwoo.” Kihyun stumbled on the greeting and eased inside when Hyunwoo subconsciously shifted over. “Ki” Hyunwoo said, “Hey.” The taller male rubbed at his nape as he shut the front door. That awkward silence again. Kihyun studied Hyunwoo while clutching the jacket he brought with him. He felt that ache in his chest again. “Minnie wanted to borrow my jacket.” Kihyun blurted out even though Hyunwoo didn’t ask. The taller male blinked, “That’s weird, he asked to borrow mine too.” Hyunwoo looked confused and Kihyun had the urge to face palm. That damn meddling Minhyuk. 

“How have you been?”

Kihyun had been so busy imagining all the violence he could unleash that the question caught him by surprise. His eyes were wide like saucers and Hyunwoo seemed amused by that. “Work has been exhausting” Kihyun finally said, “I’m almost too tired to even sleep.” He chuckled at his admission while Hyunwoo nodded. “I haven’t slept as well since-“ Hyunwoo seemed to catch himself and stopped talking. Kihyun stared hard at him before looking away. “Should probably put this in Min’s room.” He muttered. Turning to leave he stopped when Hyunwoo spoke again, “Ki wait.” Kihyun’s stomach rolled and he turned to face Hyunwoo again. “Let’s-let’s talk.” Hyunwoo spoke quietly and Kihyun rubbed on his pant leg nervously. 

“About what?”

“About us.”

Kihyun knew that was coming. He sank down on the couch and abandoned the jacket on the floor. He felt the couch dip beside him. “Listen Ki-“ Hyunwoo began but Kihyun interrupted him. “Hyunwoo I can’t go back to our friends with benefits thing okay? I can’t do it anymore” Kihyun’s voice cracked slightly but he kept talking, “It’s too hard on me because-“ He froze but then glared at his own hands,” No you know what I’ll just tell you; I like you. I’ve liked you for a long time and I can’t-I can’t pretend just sleeping with you is enough anymore” He felt liquid on his face, “So please don’t ask me to do it because I can’t.” It was painfully quiet now. Kihyun’s heart hurt at the silence. He stood abruptly and made his way to the door only for a hand to grab his elbow and spin him around. 

He was pressed against the door by Hyunwoo who seemed to be studying his face intensely. Kihyun wanted to say something but Hyunwoo’s furrowed brows made him stop. “You know when we started everything I thought it was a great idea, convenient” He winced at the sad look Kihyun had, “We we’re friends so it made sense to me. But after awhile I became comfortable” He inhaled now, “I thought it was because I’ve known you so long but once you...ended it I realized something” He raised a hand to brush tears off Kihyun’s face, “It wasn’t the situation, not that I don’t want to have sex with you, but it really was you. You were what made me happy. It stopped being about sex and I tried to ignore it” Another deep breath, “But then you were gone and I missed you like crazy. Everything about you. Your smile, your laugh, you threatening Minhyuk when he leaves dishes lying around, holding you at night” Hyunwoo was studying Kihyun again, “I want you. Not some arrangement.”

Kihyun felt fresh tears track down his face. “Me?” He whispered and he heard Hyunwoo say yes. It was him. He wanted Kihyun. The overwhelming feeling made Kihyun hug on to Hyunwoo’s waist and bury his nose in his his chest. He felt a soft chuckle from Hyunwoo as strong arms hugged him. “Does this mean you’d like to try?” Hyunwoo said softly down at Kihyun. He hesitated until Hyunwoo spoke again, “Try dating I mean.” Relief swept through him and he nodded briskly against Hyunwoo’s shirt. He felt the arms tighten around him and finally for Kihyun everything felt right.


End file.
